Panthers rescued by Vann

November 23, 2006|TIM CREASON Tribune Correspondent

MICHIGAN CITY -- When it came to free throw shooting, the Washington boys basketball team struggled like hitch-hikers in a hot desert sun. Fortunately for the Panthers, a Vann came along to pick them up before they perished. Jourdan Vann's huge three-point baskets -- two at the end of the second quarter, and two more at the start of the third -- provided just the spark Washington needed to pull out a 63-59 victory over Michigan City. In the season-opener for both teams, Fred Harris chipped in 13 points for the Panthers, and Kennis White and Trayvyon Whitfield each had 10 to go along with the 19 scored by Vann in an improbable victory at Michigan City's gym. It was improbable considering that the Panthers trailed 16-2 after the first seven minutes. It was even more so considering that they appeared to be suffering the worst free-throw shooting night in history, sinking only 5-of-16 attempts through the first three quarters. The Panthers finally found their touch at the charity stripe in the fourth period, hitting 12-of-16 down the stretch. And they needed every one of those, as Michigan City came back time and time again, and trailed by only two points with 34 seconds remaining. "A lot of our guys don't have much varsity experience, and I think we showed a lot of first-game jitters at the start," said Washington coach Chad Johnston. "When we went down 16-2, I was thinking, 'Man, it's going to be a long season,' but our guys showed a lot of heart in coming back." Michigan City's 6-7 junior center, Jarrod Jones, proved he will be a force to reckon with this season. Jones scored 28 points, pulled down six rebounds and swatted away shot after shot. "We were watching some film from last year and some of our guys were saying, 'That Jones doesn't look so tough,'" commented Johnston. "But, I saw Jones over the summer and I tried to warn them. He's a whole lot better. I guess we found out for certain ... he's a load to handle." A loud and emotional crowd (though not particularly large) gave Wednesday's game a tournament feel, and the fans were on their feet throughout. With Jones scoring nine points in the first quarter, Michigan City raced to a 12-0 lead. Washington had six turnovers before it scored a point. White finally broke the drought with a bucket at the 2:53 mark of the first quarter. A 7-0 Washington run in the final minute of the first quarter, and a 9-0 run to start the second, moved the Panthers into the lead. "At the start of the game we were taking good shots and moving the ball well," said Michigan City coach Bennie Edwards. "Then we went back to playing the kind of ball you play in the street, and that's not our game. "We couldn't get any shots to fall in the second quarter and they (Washington) took control," he added. The Panthers got a huge lift with 1:55 remaining in the second quarter when Vann sank a trey from the left corner, then sank another 30 seconds later. The two teams were tied 27-27 at halftime, but two more Vann three-pointers in the third period -- one from the corner and one from the top of the key -- kept the Wolves back-pedaling. The game was tied 39-39 after three quarters. The Panthers pulled ahead for good on a pair of Harris free throws with 4:39 remaining. Stephen Ward, who scored 14 for Michigan City, made a couple huge steals to keep the Wolves close, and a free throw by Jones made it 61-59 with 50 seconds to go. But Whitfield sank a pair of charity tosses with 31 seconds left to ice the decision. WASHINGTON 63, MICHIGAN CITY 59At Michigan City WASHINGTON (63): Terrance Rogers 1 0-2 2, Chris Newman 0 0-2 0, Fred Harris 5 3-6 13, Jourdan Vann 6 3-3 19, Trayvyon Whitfield 3 4-7 10, Jarrett Fleming 2 3-5 7, Eric Korpal 0 0-0 0, Kennis White 4 2-5 10, Randy Macon 0 2-2 2, Korey Jackson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 21 17-32 63. MICHIGAN CITY (59): Alex Tomsheck 1 0-4 2, Jon Gailes 3 0-0 6, Jarrod Jones 12 3-6 28, Stephen Ward 3 7-8 14, Demetrius Rooks 1 1-2 3, Clarence Milsap 0 0-0 0, Derrius McMillon 1 0-0 2, Byron Lee 0 4-4 4, Darius Nelson 0 0-0 0, Matt Hudson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 21 15-24 59. Washington9273963Michigan City162739593-point shooting: Washington 4-14 (Vann 4-6, Whitfield 0-2, Macon 0-1, White 0-3, Korpal 0-1, Newman 0-1), Michigan City 2-10 (Jones 1-3, Ward 1-4, McMillon 0-2, Rooks 0-1). Total fouls: Washington 22, Michigan City 25. Fouled out: Rooks (MC), Harris (W). Technical fouls: none. Field goal shooting: Washington 21-of-48 (43 percent), Michigan City 21-of-51 (41 percent). Rebounds: Washington 41 (Harris 8, White 10, Fleming 8), Michigan City 23 (Jones 6, Tomsheck 6). Turnovers: Washington 25, Michigan City 19. Officials: Dan Escalante, Kevin Kern, Zach Sliwa. Varsity records: Washington 1-0, Michigan City 0-1. Junior varsity: Michigan City 49, Washington 33.